In My Humble Opinion #2

Whats going the deal with social media sites? Aside from the artists who promote their music, and organizations that disperse valuable information to the public, no one should have Facebook or Twitter. Okay maybe that's a little brash, but in reality these websites are filling our brains with insignificant “status updates” that distract us from reality—i.e. we are getting stupider every time we long on.

On countless occasions I have found many of my classmates not caring what the teacher is teaching about and online on these sites. They’re more interested on finding out who’s hooking up with who, lurking through peoples profile pictures, or chatting it up with their best friend.

Something else that bothers me is how easy it is to meet strangers on these sites. Technology is literally everywhere and it is facilitating the world’s growing numbers of stalkers. Your should be aware that you are just a “finger tap” away, from being creeped on. The comScore report shows social media sites have increased 40 percent with stalkers over the pass three years, that is just insane!

Any way I promise you that we are all going to lose our motor skills from constantly hiding behind these technological screens. They are enabling stupidity and infidelity.

Personally, I have desensitized myself from the perils of social networking sites when opening up an Internet browser. It was truly addicting for me. I was one of the now 250 million plus users who religiously sign on every time they have an extra minute to spare. This took away from my productivity.

I would literally be signed on for hours at a time and go through roller coasters of emotions while lurking through people’s profiles. I would feel like a creep; I would get depressed and jealous at the same time because the manufactured lives exhibited through “their” pictures made “their” lives seem better than mine. It was horrible! And then I found it therapeutic to reinvigorate my page by adding new songs and what I thought were “hot” pictures of myself—how pathetic.

I find humor in this now. I don’t disagree with the idea of these cyberspace clubs but they should somehow limit the use of these things; which I don’t think would ever happen. If I could somehow abolish these sites I would. I want life to be simple again—without the pressure of having to “sign on” to let people know what you’re doing or to see what they’re up to—who gives a shit! Go read a damn book! (222)

Word of the Week #10

Word: gamut

In normally school-tax-friendly San Mateo County, voters delivered mixed results Tuesday, and the reasons seem to run the gamut from the tough economy to taxpayer fatigue to possible vengeance.

http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_19301517?source=rss

noun

the entire scale or range: .the gamut of dramatic emotion from grief to joy

Medical staff dealt with the whole gamut of possible injuries.

Blog 10 – Fish Out of Water

I recently attend my friend 21st Nigerian birthday party at his house. Unlike most traditional American birthdays where you have balloons, ornaments and presents this one was very unusual. I quickly realized that not everyone celebrates birthdays in the same way.

As I was greeted at the door by my friend, he was dressed in a kaftan, which is a crafted colorful Nigerian suit. I automatically felt out of place because as I entered the house everyone was wearing one, even the little kids. Never have I felt like an outsider in my own race.

The party reminded me of a festival, there was about 100+ people in attendance ranging from extended family and close friends. A disc jokey was playing native African music, as people were dancing. Then the music stopped and the parents brought my friend forward. They gave the parent talk in front of everyone and told the audience how grateful they are to have him as their son. After the speech was over, they danced and people started to pull money out. The family and friends joined in by “Making It Rain,” which is a popular thing to do in the Nigerian culture. This ritual signifies that in the coming years, financial blessing well come down from God.

The food was like a potluck, it consisted of an entire roasted cow and goat. They also serve a dish called "jollof rice" which is rice with tomatoes, red peppers, and onions plus cassava which is similar to sweet potato. I fell in love with the Nigerian culture and the way they celebrated birthdays. I felt like my Americanized birthdays lacked the love and support that showed on that night.In the near future, I hope to have one like his.

Word of the Week #9

Word:magistrates

A panel of anonymous magistrates will rule after the six-week trial.

http://news.yahoo.com/carlos-jackal-trial-over-4-french-attacks-093522487.html

noun

a civil officer or lay judge who administers the law, esp. one who conducts a court that deals with minor offenses and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones.

The magistrates decided the victims fate in the courtroom, for the bombing of Arab Towers.

Blog 9 – IMHO

This is not a shock to no one, Kim Kardashian is filling for divorce after 10 weeks of marriage to NBA star Kris Humphries. Famously known for her sex-tape scandal with R&B sing Ray-J, she has made headlines again and again on her rise to fame.

According to Yahoo entertainment, Kardashian and Humphries began dating late last year and announced their engagement in May. He proposed on bended knee with a 20.5-carat ring by spelling out “Will you marry me?” in rose petals.

Humphries told TMZ he was "devastated" to learn his bride had filed for divorce and is "willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."

Falling in love with a woman like this can be Humpries worse bet ever. He was known as a hard working NBA player, but now the public have pictures of him getting pedicures and being romantically in love with Ms. Kardashian.

Kardashain documented her whole wedding as a two-part special on E! Entertainment Television, which televises Kardashian’s show that follows the model and her family.

Making a total mockery out of marriage, Kradashian has disgraced the human race. She has ruined her image, and the minds of young girls that looked up to her.

Word of the Week #8

Word: synchronous

"They have eliminated quite a few jobs by limiting housing," said the senior vice president at Republic Urban Properties. "You can't put artificial caps on housing and somehow decide that jobs are more important, when jobs and housing are synchronous."

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19230131?source=rss

adjective

existing or occurring at the same time: glaciations were approximately synchronous in both hemispheres.

The alarm colck went off synchronous with the oven, making the perfect brownies.

Blog 8- Internment Memorial Revised(fact correction)

The Japanese Internment Memorial done by Ruth Asawa, a Bay Area award-wining Japanese American sculptor, can be overwhelming to any passerby. From a distance, her bronze colored wall looks uninhabited, but as one walks closer hundreds of images relating to the imprisonment of the Japanese, two-thirds presumably American appear. Three images stood out to me. The first image showed U.S. guards drawing their guns on Japanese Americans citizens arriving by train to the Internment camps. The second picture showed soldiers at the Internment camps looking down from their stoops, observing the Japanese prison which was patrolled 24/7. The last image was of the family, eating dinner in the wooden cottages, which was a very uncomfortable place to live. They had no beds, no privacy, minimal personal belongings, two windows, one door, and one set of steps. Most Japanese Americans were not angry over this treatment, though they certainly had a right to be. Many just wanted to prove that they were good patriotic U.S. citizens.

In 1942, San Jose hosted their own Internment camp. Japanese American citizens got registered at the Yoshihiro Uchida Hall which is SJSU old gym. The building was used to collect and register Japanese Americans in the area before they were sent off. Many citizens owned business and homes in the downtown area. Among those residents that were sent was Norman Mineta, who would eventually go on to become the mayor of San Jose.

One might ask what did the Japanese do too have this event occur? Well in 1941 the Japanese bombed a U.S. troop station called Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing thousands. Because of that, The United States government decided it would be a great idea to incarcerate every Japanese-American in the states because they were threatening our national security—President Roosevelt authorized this with Executive Order 9066 in 1942; based on racial prejudice and war hysteria. Their crime—their Japanese ancestry.

It wasn't until 1988 that President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act--a bill that granted the surviving Japanese-American internees a tax-free payment of $20,000 each along with an apology.

Copy Edit the World

Errors:

Instaled is supposed to spell installed.

Equitment is supposed to be Equipment

Blog 7 – Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

There was two Z.Z Packer stories I found interesting, one was called Drinking Coffee Elsewhere and the other was Brownies. I liked the stories based on the descriptive phrases and examples provided by the writer.

For example the sentences in Drinking Coffee:

"A few seemed to be lolling their heads in slow circles, half purposefully, as if exercising the muscles of their necks, half ecstatically, like Stevie Wonder" P. 7

( I pictured Stevie Wonder, trying to do his famous head turn, but was unable to do so.)

"The stars sprinkled the sky like spilled salt." P. 19

(You can just imagine when you was back in science camp in elementary)

And in Brownies..

"Her hair was a shade of blonde I'd seen only onPlayboy covers..." P. 105

(stereotypically, Playboy only produces front cover female blonds)

"Lettuce and crackers and soup would be bullied into a pulp in the bowl of some bored anorexic..." P. 114

(I will leave it up to your imagination on this one) haha

Ms. Packer, is an outstanding storyteller. Her ability to canvas an image in the readers head with amazing detail is just remarkable. The vivid descriptions, and the strategically placing of words is why its so fascinating. I love the transitions that made every sentence seem so smooth. I look forward to looking at more of her stories, so i can apply it to my writing.

Word of the Week #7

Word:Mum

The Alameda County district attorney's office is staying mum, but we hear prosecutors are still waiting for completion of the coroner's report and other investigative material in the next few days before deciding whether to file charges.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/02/BARP1LBTQN.DTL&type=politics

adjective

silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.

The victim was mum when police asked if he robbed the bank or not.

NPR Radio interview analysis

All Things Considered

The Fight to Save The U.S Postal Service--Around the Nation(NPR)

by

RACHEL MARTIN

What did the interviewer appear to know about the subject before the interview?

Before the Interview, host Rachel Martin knew tons of information on Tom Gamble. She had to of previously spoken to Gamble beforehand because it sounded like somebody describing their best friend. She pointed out almost everything in his life within the first three minutes on the radio,making it very interesting to listen to.

What kinds of questions did the interviewer ask?

She asked a lot of who, what and how questions, and with those questions are filled with snippets of research she previously investigated. I like when she asked questions, both the interviewee and audience can understand it clearly. For Example:

How important are U.S. mailman jobs?

What kind of relationships occur on route with the people?

Where does the passion of this job come from?

How did the interviewer build up to questions?

She started off with easy questions then gradually got deeper with the interviewee, making him expose some insightful information that really made the interview great.

Did the interviewer appear to have a strategy?

Strategies are almost always necessary when interviewing someone but I'm not sure her strategy was too apparent in this interview. The main message that she got across to the public was how important it’s to save the half a million jobs post office jobs, that are being threatened to be terminated soon.

How did he or she follow up to questions?

She followed up with questions by sometimes interrupting the subject so he could elaborate on the point. She did in sort of a way that sounded like a smooth transition and it was very professionally done on the air.

How were inadequate or evasive answers (if any) handled?

I heard none, it was a real intimate interview.

What was the apparent relationship between the interviewer and interviewee?

Like I said, it was like she was talking to her best friend or father. Its was a very mutual intimate home dinner type conversation.

What did you learn about interviewing from this interview?

I leaned that you have to do a lot of research on the subject you interview. If not prepared, the audience can tell, so it teaches me to do everything throughly. I also learned that having a script and asking the right questions in mandatory, if you abide by these rules you will have a great interview.

-Christian Ceaser

Mystery Character

His voice oozed with passion, and his fists pounded forward when he spoke about issues that mattered to him. His eyes were the bluest of blues and his hair as white as snow. For the most part, his dress was very business-like. By now, his age was seen through each and every wrinkle on his skin. His roar for American progressivism can still be heard through the white halls.

Who is he?

Word of the Week #6

Word:amorphous

The amorphous and steadily growing Occupy Wall Street movement in the past week now includes Occupy San Jose.

http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_19077863?source=rss

Dictionary:adjective

lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless

The amorphous crowd stopped and listened to the band preforming at farmers market.

p.s. I really hope this one makes sense :)

Word of the Week #5

Word: Cumbersome

It’s too cumbersome,” said Deirdre Macnab, the league’s president. “There is too much red tape and regulation.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/us/new-state-laws-are-limiting-access-for-voters.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=politics

Dictionary: adjective

def: burdensome; troublesome.

The kicker missed a 10 yard field goal to win the game, making the cumbersome fans angry.

Word of the Week #4

word:harbinger

Now, with the concentration of the highest unemployment rates in the South and the West, some economists and researchers wonder if it is an anomaly of the uneven recovery or a harbinger of things to come.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/us/unrelenting-downturn-is-redrawing-americas-economic-map.html?_r=1&hp

dictionary: noun

anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign: Frost isa harbinger of winter.

Most Americans are lossing there jobs, we might be on the harbinger of another recession.

Copy Edit the World

So I was walking around campus, and saw this flyer that was posted near the student union. To my disbelief this paper is error central.

Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Error

1) All words that are Capitalized need to not be.

2)No need for extra exclamation point at the end of sentences.

3) Were is supposed to be We're

4)Celbete is supposed to be spelled celebrate

Blog 4 – What Makes It News?

Yesterday a volunteer group for the missing nursing student Michelle Le, found a body in the city of Pleasanton CA, according to new source, ABC Nightline. This story is newsworthy because it unravels the newest development in this case. It also gives some sort of revilement to Le’s friends and family, which if true means that they can finally put Le’s soul to rest after a four-month search. Due to the kidnapping investigation getting the attention of almost everybody on the west coast proximity and timeliness of information makes the news values worthy.

The local reporter can localize this story by getting straight facts from Le’s family and friends about the newest development in this case. It will hit home locally because of the human interest behind the story. Being that Michelle Le, is from the Bay area, this will cause a lot of people to be emotional until they find out what really has happen.

Word of the Week #3

Word: Contention

The suit challenges Los Gatos’ contention that the development would not have an adverse impact on the environment.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/09/18/los-gatos-residents-sue-netflix-over-new-development-project/

Dictionary: Noun

an act or instance of contending

Students from around campus gathered to protest on SJSU latest contention to raise tuition cost.

A Fly on the Wall

The Spot Downtown Campbell-Bar

The Spot, a low-key bar nestled in the heart of downtown Campbell, attracts all crowds from different backgrounds. The D.J. mixes dub-step to hip-hop for everybody to enjoy making the bar a tempos nightclub atmosphere. As the music plays, people order their favorite drinks to unwind from the workday. Within an hour, people start to gather on the dance floor rocking back in forth while stomping to the beat as they create memories with their friends and counterparts. Now with all this movement from the crowd, the aroma of the place quickly changes. It goes from a clean fragrance to the smell of sweat and alcohol, which is pretty much typical setting at many bars. As the night approaches the new day, single men try desperately to mingle with woman in hopes to not be lonely for the night. From the looks of it, the success rates is not high for them at all tonight. Most of the women here are just having girl nights, which mean they have a boyfriend or they are already happily married. All in all if you’re looking to have a good time with good people in a great atmosphere, I recommend you checking out "The Spot", enjoy!

-Christian